Sardinia
Sardinia is an island kingdom in the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Italian Peninsula and formerly a part of the Italian Federation. They are also a member of the Entente. History When Austria imposed the Treaty of Rome upon Italy, the Savoyards were forced to abdicate and took refuge with their cousins, the Savoy-Aostas, who ruled the old Savoyard domains of Sardinia, Liguria and Piedmont as a state of the Italian Federation. Even this was soon taken away from them as their small army of supporters and royalists was pushed from Piedmont by the Republican, later Socialist, rebels. Concurrently, the Nice junta of French Whites were also pushed off the continent and set up a government in Algiers. King Emanuele Filiberto’s government, though indeed still part of the Federation and thus not formally able to conduct diplomacy with foreign powers, nonetheless privately reassured the Entente that the alliance would remain, as well as offering a supply post to Corsica. Sardinian troops returning from the war, especially the famed Sassari Brigade, soon adopted growing Sardinian nationalism, founding the Sardinian Action Party (Partito Sardo d'Azione in Italian, Partidu Sardu in Sardinian) in 1921. The party was promptly forced underground, as Emilio Lussu, the party leader, conducted a mostly peaceful resistance against the Italian monarchist occupation. While some in Emanuele Filiberto’s government, primarily the royalist refugees from various parts of Italy, still fostered some hopes for a restoration of Savoyard rule over Italy, the recency of the loss to Austria and the Syndicalists inclined the government to keep the status quo of remaining part of the Federation as Sardinia-Piedmont. When the British Empire collapsed in 1925, the Socialist Republic, encouraged by a new member of the Internationale, mobilized its military to attack the southern mainland states of the Federation. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was experiencing severe internal turmoil at the time, and the Dual War Ministry made the decision to withdraw from the Mezzogiorno, prompting an outraged Two Sicilies to withdraw from the Federation. Sardinia also declared independence but did not yet declare itself the Kingdom of Italy restored, as some royalists wanted. Ultimately, the SRI was dissuaded from attacking by its allies, but the damage to the Italian Federation was done. While the nationalist parties were happy to be free of the remnants of Austrian influence, they were dismayed at the renewed French alliance and the influx of foreign advisers, which might lead to foolish reunification wars. After the civil war, Sardinia was ruled by a dual French/Sardinian military government, and dissent, much of it led by the SAP, soared. In 1926, a revolt nearly broke out against Emanuele Filiberto’s government, and only French intervention prevented the royalists from being kicked out of power by the army and the SAP. In the so-called “Compromise of Alghero”, the French forced the king to bring back the suspended Sardinian constitution, first ratified in 1848 after the Albertine Decree. The SAP, in exchange, was allowed to participate in the elections if it shifted rightwards, embracing a more moderate platform of independence through the king. Emilio Lussu, disgusted with the sellout, fled to his leftist friends in the SRI. In the first elections in 1927, the SAP won most of the vote, uniting many native Sardinians. The Democratic Sardinian Union, however, stood on a platform of retaking Piedmont and restoring the king’s rightful and constitutional place in government, and won 23% of the vote, and the support of the monarchy. Since then, the power of the SAP has only grown, much to King Emanuele Filiberto’s and, after 1931, the new King Amedeo I’s chagrin. Though the economy has indeed improved since the catastrophe of the Great Depression, and the quality of life has soared on the island, there is much corruption and foreign interests at work in the overbearing SAP. Indeed, Sardinia almost might be called a one-party state, though Amedeo will seize any opportunity to dethrone them. Politics The Sardinian Action Party continues to rule Sardinia, as it has since the Compromise of Alghero. It has a noticeable split between a moderate and radical wing, led by Puggioni and the exiled Lussu respectively. Head of Government: 'Luigi Battista Puggioni '''Foreign Minister: ' 'Economy Minister: ' '''Intelligence Minister: Military Sardinia's military is large for the land it controls, yet not enough to defend itself. It will need to rely on their allies in case of war. Army The Sassari Division, true to its history, defends the island against foreign threats. While being just one division, its veteran officers are of immense value to the kingdom. There is also a division of militia stationed at La Maddalena in the north. Navy Sardinia's navy is composed of whatever ships loyalist captains managed to save from Syndicalist clutches. Most of these ships are quite old, and may not perform optimally on the open sea. It is stationed at La Maddalena, and regularly patrols the Strait of Bonifacio. It consists of 1 battleship, 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 13 destroyers, and 8 submarines Air Force The Sardinian Airforce has a small wing of five fighters, integrated into the army command structure. Foreign Relations Sardinia is a member of the Entente with Canada, National France, the West Indies Federation, the Australasian Confederation, and Delhi. Friendly relations with the United States. Unfriendly relations with Germany, Austria, the Commune of France, the Union of Britain, the Socialist Republic of Italy and the Two Sicilies. Economy The economy is heavily biased towards coal exports, chiefly to France and Spain. New mines are opened every year, and tensions rise between exiles and local miners. Much of the heavy industry on the island is owned by French companies, and reliant on French government sponsorship. See also *Canada *National France *Italian Republic Category:Countries Category:European countries Category:Italian-related topics Category:Entente Category:Monarchies